RHYTHMS OF PEACE
Vidya Shah performed at the
IHC on the 21st of September at the Annual Peace Day Festival called
‘Rhythms of Peace’.
Vidya Shah is a renowned
singer of classical and semi classical style. She has been trained in ‘Khayal’
by Shubha Mudgal and in ‘thumri’. ‘dadra’ and ‘ghazal gayaki’ by Shanti
Hiranand. She has also composed and recorded for several projects. She has a
very affable personality and her smile immediately connects with the audience.
‘Peace’ as we know it, has
many facets. One has to be at peace with one’s inner self, with one’s
environment and the harmony and peace spreads to community, nation and the world.
Everybody desires peace but the destructive forces try to hinder this process.
Music and poetry, as Vidya said, are important threads in the weave of life.
Poetry has always reflected upon the turmoil of every era. Musicians, in their
own language, have tried to bring peace.
The first song of the recital
was a ‘kafia’ which stressed oneness with the eternal beloved, God. ‘Mera ishq
bhi tu, mera pyaar bhi tu’. The words touched everybody’s heart. They call for
total surrender to God, to attain eternal peace.
The next song, a composition
by Dharamdas, a disciple of Sant Kabir, an ode to Kabir for his secular
teachings. He was a saint to both Hindus and Muslims. A Guajarati song was
about the futility of war. The next song was by a 7th century poet
Wali Gujarati.The satirical poetry highlighted the rift between Hindus and Muslims
as a consequence of which both religions have lost their soul of humanity. The
rendition was very sensitively done. A composition by Sahir Ludhyanvi said that
warring communities will lead to destruction. ‘Aaj ki apni khamoshi, kal
sannata kehlayegi’. Even Surdas had a very astute perception of what the world
would come to. Vidya next sang his ‘Karman ki gati nyari’, a composition which
highlights the irony of life. The final composition was about the helplessness
of the poet in rectifying the situation. ‘Ai logo khamosh raho, kuchh kehne ka
waqt nahin hai’. The touching lyrics, the very relevant theme and Vidya’s
mesmerizing rendition made the entire recital quite meaningful and enjoyable.
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